ARMORATA

Wear Armour.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, armour would be it. The
long-term benefits of armour have been proven by Dukes, whereas the rest
of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.
I will dispense this advice now..
Enjoy the power and beauty of your sword. Oh, never mind.. You will not
understand the power and beauty of your sword until it's mushed into a
broom. But, thrust me, in twenty rounds you'll look back at pictures of
yourself and recall in a way you you can't grasp now how much possibility
lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as
you imagine..
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as
effective
as trying to block a Duke's axe by screaming in fear. The real blows that
ends the fight will are apt to be the things that you never saw, the kind
that
blind side you around your shield..
Do one thing in every bout that scares you..
Sing..
Don't be reckless with other people's ribcages. Don't put up with people
who are reckless with yours..
"Light.."
Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're
behind. The bout is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.. and
with that guy trying to cave your skull in..
Remember the compliments you recieve. Forget the insults. If you succeed in
doing this, tell me how..
Keep your old helms. Throw away your old swords..
Stretch..
Don't feel guilty if you don't know how to fight your opponent. The most
interesting Counts are still surprised they won. The very most interesting
Dukes didn't know how to fight all their opponents either..
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're
gone..
Maybe you'll win, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll be coronated, maybe you
won't.
Maybe you'll get knocked out in the first round, maybe you'll be in finals.
Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself
either. You blows are half chance. So are everyone else's..
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what
other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own..
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but on your fallen opponent.. Read the rules of the list, even of you are illiterate.. Do not read the Order of Precedence. It will only make you feel outclassed. Get to know your Crown. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be
nice to your Baron. They're your best link to your Crown.. Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold
on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because, as
Crown, you'll have see more geography and lifestyles than you ever imagined..
Live in Atenveldt once, but leave before it makes you invulnerable to normal blows.
Live in the Northern Outlands once, but leave before you start accepting
near misses as killing shots.. Accept some inalienable truths: Tournaments always run longer than expected.
Feasts will be late. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, tournaments were reasonable, feasts
were on time, and children respected the Crown.. Respect your Crown.. Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a squire. Maybe you
have a consort. But it's you standing on the list field. Don't mess too much with your helm or by the time you're 40, it will be 40
gauge. Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who
supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the
past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and
recycling it for more than it's worth.. But trust me on the armour..

-found carved into the back of a MidRealm squire at Pennsic, AS 28. No damn
Copyright. Post no Bills. This means YOU!